Simple Grilled Steak Fajitas — The Memorial Day Weber

Memorial Day weekend. Cody pulled the Weber kettle grill out of the garage Friday afternoon at three PM, dragged it to its summer spot on the patio behind the house, scrubbed the grates with a wire brush and a quart of soapy water, and made a list on the back of an envelope of everything he wanted to grill across the three days of the long weekend. The list had nineteen items on it. He had been waiting for grilling weather since November when he’d come home from the unit, and the weather had finally arrived.

Saturday I made simple grilled steak fajitas because Cody had insisted Friday night on grilling for the family and steak fajitas use the marinade-and-quick-sear technique that’s exactly what a charcoal kettle grill does best — the high direct heat over hot coals develops the deep crust on the meat in three minutes a side and the grill does most of the cooking work for you while you’re tending the rest of the meal.

Skirt steak is the right cut for fajitas. Skirt is the cut from the diaphragm muscle of the cow, long and thin, with a coarse open grain that absorbs marinade better than denser cuts and that, when sliced thin against the grain, eats tender even though the cut is technically a tougher cut. Skirt steak was on a Memorial Day yellow-tag at the IGA at two-something a pound, and I bought two pounds for the whole spread. Flank steak is the acceptable substitute if your store doesn’t have skirt; ribeye and sirloin are wrong cuts for fajitas because they don’t take the marinade the same way and they’re too rich for the role.

The marinade I built and let the steak swim in for four full hours: a quarter-cup of fresh lime juice (about three limes), a quarter-cup of low-sodium soy sauce, four cloves of garlic minced, two teaspoons of cumin, two teaspoons of smoked paprika, a teaspoon of dried oregano, a half-teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes, two tablespoons of vegetable oil (the oil helps the marinade adhere to the meat’s surface), and one fresh jalapeño seeded and chopped fine. The lime is the tenderizer (acid breaks down protein); the soy is the salt (you don’t need additional salt with soy in the marinade); the cumin and paprika are the flavor backbone. Whisked in a glass measuring cup, poured into a one-gallon zip-top bag with the steak, sealed, into the fridge for four hours with periodic flipping. Don’t marinate skirt steak longer than five hours — the lime acid will start to break down the muscle protein into mush past that window.

While the steak marinated, I prepped the fajita vegetables: three large onions in thick half-moons, three bell peppers (a red, a yellow, a green) sliced into half-inch strips. The vegetables get cooked separately on a sheet pan in the oven at four-fifty for twenty minutes until charred at the edges — you can do this on the grill on a separate cast-iron pan if you have the real estate, but the oven works fine and frees up the grill for the meat.

Cody managed the grill. He built a two-zone fire with all the coals on one side of the kettle — a hot direct-heat zone on the coal side, a cooler indirect zone on the empty side — which is the standard kettle setup that gives you both searing power and a place to move things if they’re cooking too fast. The skirt steak went onto the direct-heat zone over the hot coals, three minutes per side without moving, until the surface had the diamond-cross-hatch grill marks and the internal temp had hit one-twenty-five for medium-rare. Off the grill to a cutting board. Tented under foil. Rested ten minutes. Sliced thin against the grain at a shallow angle.

Served on warm flour tortillas (warmed directly over the fading coals for ten seconds a side until pliable and slightly charred at the edges) with the sauteed onions and peppers, fresh cilantro, lime wedges, and a quick avocado-lime crema I made by mashing one ripe avocado with a half-cup of sour cream, a quarter-cup of mayonnaise, the juice of one lime, two cloves of garlic grated on the microplane, and salt.

Aunt Linda and Roy came down from Tulsa. Aunt Patty’s family came up from McAlester. Eleven of us around the picnic table on the back porch in folding chairs and the kitchen chairs we’d carried out. Cody worked the grill the whole afternoon and looked happy in a way I haven’t seen him look in four years. Mama said quietly to me in the kitchen while we were getting more napkins, “He’s himself again.” She’s right. He is.

Skirt steak, four-hour marinade, three minutes a side over the hot coals. Slice thin against the grain. Here’s the build.

Simple Grilled Steak Fajitas

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 12 min | Total Time: 32 min (plus 30 min marinating) | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs skirt steak or flank steak, trimmed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 large red bell pepper, sliced into strips
• 1 large green bell pepper, sliced into strips
• 1 large yellow onion, sliced into strips
• 8 small flour tortillas, warmed
• Optional toppings: sour cream, salsa, shredded cheese, fresh cilantro, lime wedges

Instructions

1. Marinate the steak. In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons olive oil, lime juice, garlic, cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Place the steak in a zip-top bag or shallow dish, pour the marinade over it, and turn to coat. Marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes, or refrigerate up to 8 hours.
2. Preheat the grill. Heat a gas or charcoal grill to high heat (about 450°F–500°F). Clean and lightly oil the grates.
3. Cook the peppers and onions. Toss the sliced bell peppers and onion with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Place them in a grill basket or on a sheet of foil over the grill. Cook, tossing occasionally, for 8–10 minutes until softened and lightly charred. Remove and set aside.
4. Grill the steak. Remove the steak from the marinade, letting excess drip off. Grill over high heat for 4–5 minutes per side for medium-rare (internal temperature 130°F–135°F), or 6 minutes per side for medium. Avoid pressing down on the steak while cooking.
5. Rest and slice. Transfer the steak to a cutting board and let it rest for 5 minutes. Slice thinly against the grain into strips.
6. Assemble the fajitas. Lay warm tortillas flat and pile on steak strips and grilled vegetables. Add desired toppings — sour cream, salsa, shredded cheese, fresh cilantro, and a squeeze of lime. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 520 | Protein: 38g | Fat: 21g | Carbs: 42g | Fiber: 4g | Sodium: 610mg